…and not nearly enough time to read them all! I’ve been reading like a fiend lately, but there’s always more titles just waiting and waiting…

–Marissa

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare from her new Girl Meets Duke series was great – anything by Dare is going to be a surefire Regency romance winner to me! In this series debut, the battle-scarred Duke of Ashbury needs a wife and heir, so when seamstress Emma stumbles into his path, they make a swift match… but Emma is no shrinking violet. Witty, fast, fun, and full of the feels, I loved it!

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (just released a few days ago) is the latest young adult novel from this star, and it was SO well done. The story is told backwards… literally. The first chapter is the last thing that happens, and things progress backwards from there. It shouldn’t work, but it totally does. This felt very Talented Mr. Ripley to me (and was cited as an inspiration) but the trope and the story TOTALLY worked. I tore through it – couldn’t put it down!

The Best of Us by Joyce Maynard (also just released) was a tough memoir to read, but such a worth-it one. In her late 50s, author Maynard finally meets the love of her life, a man named Jim. They quickly fall in love, move in together, get married, and make plans for their life together… until Jim falls gravely ill. Maynard walks the reader through every minute of their courtship and their pairing, unlikely though they seem (much of which really resonated with me!), their marriage, their travels, and how they battled together when Jim was diagnosed. So beautifully written, moving, thoughtful, emotional and heartbreaking… and yet hopeful for all who didn’t settle down early in their adulthood. I absolutely couldn’t stop reading until I reached the last page…

I also read the Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton, which was getting lots of positive press, but which I found annoying, trite and unable to root for any characters… I read Lie to Me by J. T. Ellison, which had a definite Gone Girl vibe to it, and was a zippy read… I enjoyed Running with a Police Escort by (bigger girl and fellow librarian) Jill Grenenwald… The Day of the Duchess was going to be a winner, since it’s the latest Sarah MacLean (and it was!), and I love a good hygge book, including the very pretty Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness by Marie Tourell Soderberg… round things out I reread – for the first time since childhood! – The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and also just finished Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka, which was supposedly a suspense novel but delved way more into the characters and had little movement to keep the reader totally engaged… at least THIS reader. Whew! That’s a lotta books!

Time for another roundup of buzz-worthy books! Let’s go!

–Marissa

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong was a BOTM selection, has topped all kinds of “best of” lists this summer, and has been everywhere. This slim, quiet novel is all about a year – told through diary entries – that Ruth spends at home caring for her ailing father. It’s not so much that anything *happens* but more in the gorgeous prose, turns of phrase and observations that Khong packs into this novel. Recommended!

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta is his first novel since 2011, and it’s…awkward. We have a total “bro” of a son heading off to college along with a single mother who is suffering from empty nest syndrome… and then we mix in a bunch of quirkly characters and a lot of NSFW references to sex and porn, and you have a Perrotta novel! Unsettling and odd, character-driven and well written, this one is hard to describe. You’ll have to try it for yourself, if you dig the author of Little Children, Election and The Leftovers…

Fierce Kingdom by Gin Phillips is a total one-sitting read! Told over the course of several hours (and with ever-increasing tension), Joan is leaving the zoo at closing time with her young son when something makes her turn and run – and hide. Filled with maternal ferocity, suspense, heart, and a continual “edge of your seat” vibe, you’ll devour this one!

I also just finished Final Girls by Riley Sager (fine enough except for that ending, but not worth ALLLLL the hype I heard about it!) as well as Dear Martin by Nic Stone (who we met at ALA and was all kinds of fabulous!). Dear Martin is going to be the next The Hate U Give: a young adult novel telling a story of race, class, police power, snap judgement and how to be your best self when the world might be against you – it’s one to read right now, and in one sitting.

I have fallen down the rabbit hole, y’all.

The digital ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) rabbit hole, wherein I can download digital copies of certain titles from publishers to rate and review before they’re released.

Holy cannoli.

This is just like going to our annual library conference every year for free ARCs, but digital. From home. All the time.

This could be dangerous. 😉

So, let’s see… what have I read…

–Marissa

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (released October 10th) take us back, back… to the story she began with Practical Magic in 1995, only this time, the story features the eccentric aunts of Gilly and Sally, Jet and Franny, and their turbulent years growing up with their gifts, falling in love, and finding themselves. Very much character driven and beautiful written, as expected. Another Hoffman winner!

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak feels like a call-back to Jonathan Tropper’s excellent This is Where I Leave You, wherein a family that doesn’t exactly gel is confined to quarters together for a week – and naturally, deception, hilarity, love, anger and family squabbles ensue. I could not put this book down – I love a good character-driven, told-from-alternating-voices story where you know things are going to go down, and not all of them pleasant. Lots of buzz already for this book, due out October 17th.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng was just unputdownable…and hard to summarize. In an idyllic neighborhood, the picture-perfect family is shaken when an enigmatic mother and daughter come into their lives… and close family friends attempt to adopt a baby. Weird summary? Yes. Amazing book? Yes. So much character development, intricacies, secrets, and reveals throughout – I just loved it! Perfect for fans of women’s fiction, literary fiction, or even for older teen readers. Recommended! This one is released September 12th…

Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin has been getting all sort of advanced buzz, and I enjoyed it! A young intern, a politician, an affair… but what happens twenty years later when that girl is STILL dogged by the past? Recommended! I also read It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice, which was a short and lovely memoir of his struggle with ALS, and how he overcame medical odds to remains with his family and pursue his passion as a filmmaker. Inspiring!

Yeah, yeah, I know… I’m totally a fiction girl, BUT I’ve had some really great nonfic reads on my nightstand lately! Let’s do this!

–Marissa

Hunger by Roxane Gay is just… hard to read. Not only for what the sexual abuse she endured at a young age that sent her on a path of self-destruction, but for the raw honesty of what it’s like to live in this world as a plus-size woman. Her writing is honest, accessible, real, true, and so many times, I felt like she was echoing my own thoughts. Powerful stuff – a worthy, worthy read.

American Fire by Monica Hesse was just… great. If you liked Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel or Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance, this is right up that alley! Hesse chronicles a series (like, nearly 100) of arson-fueled fires that were lit up and down a Virginia coast, and the who-and-why is just as fascinating as the fires themselves. She also delves into the story of a dying town, commerce, culture, and of course, love. Un-put-down-able!

The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs was just… SOOO good. Riggs chronicles her diagnosis of cancer (but a good prognosis!), the loss of her mother, and her eventual rediagnosis of cancer (not a good prognosis). Though you know she loses her battle, she writes with such grace and dignity and humor and accessibility. I really loved this memoir, and felt her loss from the world when I was through…

I also read Flat Broke with Two Goats by Jennifer McGaha (an advanced reader’s copy from ALA, to be released January 1 of next year – I liked it!), as well as How To Be Married by Jo Piazza (which I thoroughly enjoyed!).

Time for another round of reviews, this time with a focus on my recent Young Adult reads – let’s go!

–Marissa

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich was a Book of the Month pick for me, and has been getting press for being an inventive LGBT young adult novel. I dug the premise… teens are groomed to be “love interests” – supporting players who get close to people who have been determined to be important to the future (think presidents and scientists, etc). But… where one love interest wins the heart of their target, their competitor is not so fortunate. Even though I loved the premise, I thought the love story actually fell flat and didn’t feel as passionate or committed or angsty as it could/should. It felt like it was trying to be too many things, and the world-building fell flat for me. I’m all for LGBT lit for teens, but I’m not sure this is the best around, in my very humble opinion.

The Gatekeepers by Jen Lancaster had been hooked when Lancaster herself talked about it during ALA and I snagged an advanced copy – this is her first foray into young adult lit, and into such a serious topic. A well-to-do Chicago suburb appears to have it all…except for that high rate of successful students committing suicide-by-train. Thought-provoking, at times hard to read, and well-intentioned, I really liked this, and think it will be absolutely discussion-worthy for teens and adults. (Release date: October 10th)

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon has been the buzzy young adult book this summer, and why not? It’s adorable! Dimple is smart, sassy and has her heart set on a geeked out summer camp… what she is not set on is the arranged marriage to Rishi that is on the horizon. A surprise meeting, a thrown Starbucks, and a lot of water under the bridge later, will these two fall for each other anyway? Cute, cute, CUTE!

I also read Textrovert by Lindsey Summers (cute, fast, former Wattpad novel), as well as Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia, which was quirky, unique, and total love letter to folks caught up in a fandom of any kind.

Where has the time gone, friends? Summer is just flying by! Despite the longer days and hotter temperatures, I’ve actually been able to get LOTS of reading done, so let’s catch up with each other, shall we?

–Marissa

Not a Sound by Heather Gudenkauf was a great zip-right-through-it read! Former nurse Amelia lost her hearing in an accident two years ago, and since then has been trying to make peace with her situation, her failed marriage, and her career trajectory. While out with her service dog, she discovers a dead body…and finds herself in the middle of a web of lies and trouble. This was super readable, a great premise, and had a unique protagonist! I loved it!

The Goddesses by Swan Huntley was an ALA advanced reader copy (ARC) score, and has been pretty buzzy, and with good reason. Nancy and her family have just relocated to Hawaii, and in a bid to reinvent herself, she attends a yoga class. Making an instant connection with the instructor, Nancy finds herself pulled more and more into her friendship with Ana, and the lengths we go to as women in friendship – and manipulation. Even though you know how it will end, you can’t look away…. great setting, characters, and slow ratcheting up of suspense! I couldn’t put it down!

George & Lizzie by Nancy Pearl was another ALA score, because hello, Nancy Pearl’s debut novel. 🙂 Told in forwards-and-backwards, slightly choppy and disjointed style (which I was fine with), Pearl tells the story of George and Lizzie’s relationship, as well as who came before they found each other. At times irreverant, wry, and of course, well written, I enjoyed this one! (Release date: September 5th)

I also read The Little French Bistro by Nina George, and I swear I can’t see what all the hype is about – I hated it! I also reread All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Grennwood – what a different take from the first time I read it! I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (enjoyable!), as well as The F Word by Liza Palmer (ugh), and The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo (all that for THAT ending?!), and I listened to The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (I liked it!). Whew!